Skift Take

Sound is an opportunity area that luxury hoteliers haven't fully capitalized on. But they are perfect places to create unique, rarified experiences.

Series: On Experience

On Experience

Colin Nagy, a marketing strategist, writes this opinion column for Skift on hospitality and business travel. On Experience dissects customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. He also covers the convergence of conservation and hospitality.

You can read all of his writing here.

The best luxury hotels obsess over just about everything: The sheets, coffee, temperature, and lighting. The fresh flowers each day.

Now, let's talk sound: The best, most rarified listening experiences.

The world is starting to see the global cross pollination of listening bars and audiophile venues. These venues, like Lion, Bar Martha and Buy Back in Tokyo have long been obsessive about vintage sound: Think meticulously sourced Altec Lansing speakers, glowing McIntosh tube amps, and record players that cost as much as a small car. These spaces are often lined with record collections, and serve up whiskey and bourbon that is as considered as the equipment.

The trend is going global to venues like Spiritland in London, Eavesdrop in New York, and The Equipment Room in Austin. It's not abou